Medical Decision Making in Multiple System Atrophy

This is a monocentric, 18-months, randomized, rater-blinded study to evaluate the influence of a multidisciplinary, personalized symptomatic treatment plan with integrated mobile palliative care and telemedicine on the baseline to 18-months change in the QoL of individuals with MSA compared to a sex-, age- and disease-duration matched historical European MSA cohort, whose data is stored at the Medical University of Innsbruck.

We plan to recruit 46 individuals with MSA fulfilling all the inclusionand none of the exclusion criteria. Upon collection of written informed consent, the recruited individuals will be instructed to complete a falls protocol referred to the month preceding the baseline visit, as well as a blood pressure (BP), bladder diary for up to 72 hours prior to the baseline visit. They will subsequently undergo a baseline examination including a comprehensive clinical, psychological and neuro-rehabilitation assessment, as well as an online semi-structured interview aimed at pinpointing the individual therapeutic needs and healthcare preferences. In case additional examinations are needed, these will be carried out on the same day of the baseline visit or, if not possible for individual or appointment reasons, at the earliest possible time point within the given timeframe as outlined in the visit schedule. Upon completion of the baseline visit and examinations, the individualized therapeutic plan, including mobile palliative care offer (for wheelchair-bound individuals) and guidance for self-practiced physio-, speech and occupational exercises will be prepared based on a standardized operational protocol drafted by the study team on the basis of published consensus recommendations, scientific evidence and principles of good clinical practice and adapted to the individual healthcare preferences and therapeutic needs of the recruited individuals.

Six, 12 and 18 months after the baseline visit, in-person visits will be scheduled, including a comprehensive clinical, psychological and neuro-rehabilitation re-assessment of the individual therapeutic needs. Therapeutic adaptations will be made following the standardized operational protocol and adapted to the individual healthcare preferences. In the event that the enrolled subjects are for legitimate reasons unable to travel to hospital, they will be offered the opportunity to complete the scheduled on-site assessments of month 6, 12, and 18 using the CHES online platform.

At month 12 the online semi-structured interview will be repeated to assess for eventual changes in the individual healthcare preferences due to the disease progression.

At month 1, 7 and 13, follow-up phone calls will be scheduled to verify the compliance with the individualized treatment plan and identify barriers to its application.

At month 1, 7, 13 and 18, the study participants will be invited to complete online satisfaction surveys with the overall individualized treatment plan.

Twenty-three patients will be block-wise randomized to receive additional monthly and on-demand neurological, psychological, physio-, occupational and speech therapy (based on individual needs) telemedicine visits through the CHES teleconsultation facility of the Tirol Kliniken.

Upon completion of the telemedicine visit (or on-demand mobile palliative interventions, for wheelchair-bound individuals, whenever needed and wished), brief satisfaction surveys will be sent to the study participants through the CHES platform.

Informal caregivers of the individuals with MSA recruited in the present study will be invited to participate upon written informed consent in an 18 months observational study, with baseline and 12 months semi-structured online interviews and baseline, 6-, 12- and 18 months assessment of their QoL and caregivers' burden.

Inclusion criteria

For individuals with MSA:

• Age ≥30 years at the time of consent;
• Diagnosed with clinically probable or clinically established MSA according to the current MDS MSA criteria (1);
• Life-expectancy of at least 24 months as assessed by the investigator at the time of consent;
• Understands and agrees to comply with the study procedures and provides written informed consent (Note: a legal representative may NOT provide consent on behalf of the subject);
• Signed and dated informed consent document;
• Fluency in German;
• If not able to walk or stand without assistance/support at the time of consent, the participant lives in Tyrol or in another Austrian Region with available mobile palliative care.

For informal caregivers:

• Informal caregiver (i.e. person not receiving payment for his/her caregiving) of an individual with MSA recruited in the present study;
• Life-expectancy of at least 24 months as assessed by the investigator at the time of consent;
• Age≥ 18 years at the time of consent;
• Understands and agrees to provide information as outlined in the study protocol and to engage in semi-structured online interviews;
• Provides signed and dated written informed consent;
• Full legal capacity;
• Fluency in German.

Exclusion criteria

For individuals with MSA

• Participation in an interventional clinical study at screening and throughout the study that would interfere with the MeDeMSA Care personalized treatment plan or would not permit telemedicine and mobile palliative care strategies;
• Charlson comorbidity index >4 at the time of consent;
• Other major underlying medical conditions that may confound interpretation of study results as assessed by the investigator.